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Monday, January 18, 2010

I am thinking...About the fun time my family and I had at a *FREE* Tim Hawkins concert last night. It was just so nice to loosen up and LAUGH and LAUGH and LAUGH! Not just little giggles, but Belly Rolling laughter. ♥

I am thankful for...For the little ways that God evidenced his love to me yesterday. In a crowd of an exuberant amount of people at the Tim Hawkins concert, I spotted a friend from our old church we moved away from.

From the learning rooms...Finally that curriculum I wanted to experience with arrived, so that is what we will be doing

Come on people! Sometimes you just gotta laugh at yourself! And if you can'tdo that.....Laugh at other people! ~Tim Hawkins

I am going... Hopefully to see my 93 year old Grandma to give her, her birthday present. The kids painted a plate for her at a pottery shop.

I am currently reading...Still Reading "The Naked Gospel" by Andrew Farley. It gets better and better. It's one of those books you need to take time and chew on it.

I am hoping...That God gives me some direction in an area, that I keep "seeing" needs in. I want to do something about it, but not exactly sure where or how to begin.

I am hearing...The girls cleaning their room. (Hopefully) ;-)

And Tiny Boy pretending to be Spider man

On my mind...So much. The people of Haiti, and just what I wrote above. About God giving me direction in the area I see that has needs in.

Noticing that...People in general are confused individuals...sigh....(giggles)

Pondering these words...

The flesh wasn't trying to produce evil-looking behavior in the Galatians.Instead, these Christians were employing fleshly effort as a means ofperfectingthemselves (growing) in Christ! They regarded their smartsandmoral fortitudeas the route to spiritual maturity.~The NakedGospel byAndrew Farley

From the kitchen...Not sure what yet. Hubby is out of town, so that means I don't cook much, LOL!

Around the house...I want to re-organize the Kitchen cabinets and pantry. Blah :-P

A few plans for the rest of the week...Hang out with my MOPS friends at the bowling alley tomorrow, stay consistent with exercise, and be more consistent with homeschooling too. (Gritting my teeth in determination)

One of my favorite things...The way a horse smells. I know. I am weird. I already know.

From my picture journal...

The plate that my children designed to give to their Great Grandma for her birthday (G.G.)

Monday, January 11, 2010

I have drawn a name for the winner, and it was someone who commented on here that doesn't have a blog. Mrs. M! Thank you to all who participated! Please check in for more fun stuff that I am planning on doing with my blog.I am very sorry it took me so long to announce the winner. The new year has already started with a "bang" and I have to purpose to keep my priorities straight. :DHave a Happy New Year!!!

The original sin didn't outwardly appear to be evil, nor would it be ridiculed today. It might even be praised today, just as we applaud those who seek what is "right" in their own estimation. We call it integrity and self-discipline. But God wasn't pleased with the first human's decision to enter the realm of right and wrong.God intended us to be dependent on him with no concern for morality and ethics. Adam and Eve were only to know this: the life I display is God's life. With that, they were to be satisfied. But the story of the fall is that they weren't satisfied. They were tempted to settle for a substitute. That substitute is something we call morality and ethics today~The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley

From the kitchen... Brown rice cooked in homemade chicken stock, with black beans, and Italian Chicken sausage. Topped with cheddar cheese and sour cream. With buttered broccoli on the side

Around the house...I don't want to think about that! :-P So much to do to get it in order from the hectic previous week and weekend

A few plans for the rest of the week... Go through stuff to give away for a garage sale fundraiser for my girl's home school choir. They are planning on doing an end of the year musical/production of Pinocchio

From my picture journal...Bean made a cocoon to sleep in on one of our coldest nights. This is what I walked into. I honestly thought she wasn't in bed, because she was so snuggled down into a little hole.But I peeled back a cover, and found her strawberry blond hair peeking throughTo View Other's Day Books please visit The Simple Woman's Day Book

Sunday, January 10, 2010

I loved reading this issue. It was very motivating and encouraging to start out the new year with a positive mind frame to accomplish your goals.

This issue is particularly focusing on Organization. I really like this part of the digest because Molly graciously provides forms for monthly bills, budget, a January calender, a daily to do list broken down into sections so you won't feel overwhelmed, and a family clothing inventory sheet. Which I can't wait to put into practice! ♥

Molly has a sweet craft to decorate your house with positive, motivating scriptures and words, for little to no money.

Molly is also motivating us to eat healthier this year and gives some baby step tips on where to start so you won't feel overwhelmed, and also provides a healthy frugal menu, including the shopping list. The pictures to the recipes look absolutely yummy! I really want to try making the Tomato Basil Chicken. Ohhh La La!

One of the newer features in Molly's Digest this coming year is the "Kid's Corner" and this month is awesome! She has a craft to help your kid's make their own piggy bank that looks like a real piggy using items from around the house.

Then Molly talks about opening up a bank account for your children, and helping them learn to frugal and handle their money wisely. Home school opportunity! :D

She even provides pretend checks and a checkbook ledger for your children to practice using.

Molly also delves into the important topic of prioritizing, which is something I *REALLY* need to set my mind to. This month's digest came at just the right time to encourage me into what is important.

And of course, Molly provides awesome links and resources at the end of the digest so you can dig in even deeper and research even more! I really enjoyed reading this digest, and can't wait to get my clothing inventoried with the inventory sheets, and make those awesome piggy banks withe my kids.

To purchase your own January copy of Molly's Money Saving Digest, just click on the link ♥CLICK HERE♥

Monday, December 28, 2009

I am thinking... About my New Year's Goals and Priorities that I am trying to formI am thankful for... For the family that God has given me. Almost everyday I am amazed at how perfectly they fit me. How they challenge me. How they have taught me, molded me and grown me into a better person.

All books are great reads so far. I have differing thoughts and opinions on the Passionate Housewives one, but for the most part, it's pretty good. Just gotta chew the meat and spit out the bones. ;-) And for the most part there is more meat than bones.

The Duggar's convictions of their family are different than mine. But one reason I love the Duggar's so much, is that they always emphasize that it's their own personal conviction, and they always encourage their reader to read their Bible and pray before they make a decision on which direction they should go with their own family. In essence they let the Holy Spirit do His job with individual Christians and don't force their ideas down peoples throats.

I am hoping... That plans to go out with a friend to Thrift Shop and get coffee will play out without incident tomorrow

On my mind... Getting the house clean after Christmas and decluttering

If we find ourselves in a position where we feel that serving our families gets in the way of serving Christ's Kingdom, then we should fall on our faces and repent..... ~Passionate Housewives Desperate for God~

I agree with that whole heartily! So many people in church leadership positions think that if a woman stays at home and serves her family and doesn't participate in outside ministries at the church that she isn't obeying the Great Commission.This is one of the reasons I am loving Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. The Book is meant to encourage women in the calling of staying at home with their children and serving God in that position.I am liking the perspective that this book exalts the woman in her calling to be a stay at home mother. Rather than a "season of life" that she needs to get through in order to go onto "higher and better things"

However, the bones that are in this book have to do with scripture that has been taken out of context, and a hint of a legalistic attitude. But I am not finished with the book yet, so I can't make a fair judgment as of yet.

Some other Words I am pondering:

As a child, my wife, Katharine, lived in Colombia, South America, with her parents who served there as missionaries for four years. In Colombia, Katharine visited some of the most legalistic churches imaginable. Elders and deacons who were well respected among their peers were caught with other men's wives. Admired church leaders turned out to be drunks, compulsive gamblers, or extortionists.Perhaps the most amazing even was when a man's car blew up in his own driveway, apparently an assassination. The charred body was recovered from the flames, and a funeral was held for the man. About a year later, the man was found alive and well in another city--married to another woman! It turns out he had dug up a cadaver from the cemetery and staged his own death. Apparently, he carried out his charade because of the extensive gambling debts he owed to the local mafia.Katharine witnessed both extreme legalism and extreme immorality at the same time. Those outrageous evens served to illustrate an important point about life under the law. We can dress up, play church, and gain the respect of those around us through the trumpeting of our strict religious rules. But no amount of window dressing can change reality. Sooner or later, life under the law will evidence itself.In Christ, we die and are reborn--free from the law. So we don't have to pretend. Playing church leads to more sinning every time.~The Naked Gospel~

Wow, is all I have to say! That is so true. I have seen it with my own eyes unfortunately. :(From the kitchen... Most likely leftovers. I have no idea, LOL!Around the house... Girls are playing outside and Tiny Boy is asking me for coffeeOne of my favorite things...Clean smelling carpets! Thanks to my friend, who allowed me to borrow her carpet steam cleaner, I now have fresh clean carpets! ♥

I am creating...Some Christmas presents that I didn't get to finish. Don't know when I will get to finish them either. :-oI am hearing...The girls talking to their daddy, and Tiny Boy scarfing down a bit o coffee

From my picture journal...The children got pajamas and blankets from their Nana and Papaw on Christmas Eve. My mom told me as a little girl she and her brother would take a picture by the Christmas tree in their new pajamas. That happened with her in the late 50's. So we decided to go retro here~ Only we have a digital and colored camera. ;-)

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Well, the Christmas Meme was tons of fun. I didn't get to the last post that I was planning to do.

Plans changed. It's always a good idea to be flexible, and not get in a hissy fit and pull out your hair because things didn't go as you expected them. ;-)

We had a wonderful Christmas. Very simple, and memorable for the kids. Which was my goal. :D

I will announce the winner this coming weekend on the meme. I have to go back and see who commented, who, participated, and such and put all the numbers in a hat, and will announce then! ♥

So how do you like the new look of my blog? I think this look is going to stick around for a while. I am known to change my blog around a lot. But I need to keep things simple.

I know it looks very springy, and it is nearing the dead of winter for some of ya'll. But I have a lot of plans for the year 2010. I want to start new and fresh. And well, Spring reminds me of new and freshness. ;-)

I also want to thank all my new followers to my blog. I truly appreciate that there are people reading my ramblings. ♥

There are several ideas looming in my head as to the direction I want to take "Heart Of A Mommy". I am praying about those directions. Fun things!

My goal is for the blog to be an encouragement, and a "fun" place to unwind. I want to be more "interactive" on this blog too. So stick around and let's see what will happen!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

We are on day thirteen of the Simplifying Christmas Meme! Today's topic is "Christmas Crafts"Click on the Christmas Button above to get details on this meme, and join in on the fun! To see the prize you could win CLICK HERE. To win this prize, either write about this topic on your blog, and link back to here, and post your link in the MckLinky at the bottom of this post, or leave a comment about this topic. :)

First off, I am *SO* sorry that I have skipped the last couple of days. Things have been *very* busy around here. Some unexpected plans have come up, and in order to simplify things, I had to skip blogging.

I am thinking I will do one more post for the meme. Tomorrow's theme will be to share what you have learned *THIS* Christmas in the area of Simplifying. So be thinking about that. :)

So this is partly what we have been doing this week. Making crafts. A few of these were unexpected.

Sweetie really wanted to make a few gifts for her cousins. I don't want to discourage her creativity and willingness to give, so I took her to the fabric store, and have been working with her to make the gift.

Being flexible with our plans allows things to become more simple I believe. I had to put aside some things that I thought we would be doing to allow her to do this. But the benefits are better than my plans. I am spending time with her, and encouraging her.

So this is what Sweetie has been working on:

This is one of those polar fleece blankets that you cut into fringe and then tied together. Sweetie picked out the fabric. She LOVES monkeys. Sweetie is hoping that her cousin will enjoy the monkeys as well. ♥

This is really a quick and simple "craft" for six to ten year old to do. Just cutting and tying.

Sweetie also has plans on making a pillow case for her other cousin. Which I will be working with her on today or tomorrow.

Another thing we have been doing is making salt dough ornaments. These are just waaay to fun to make. So *SIMPLE* and easy. Messy? Yes. But wonderful memories and fun! These aren't finished. I had just pulled them out of the oven in this picture. Now they are cooled and waiting to be painted. Another thing we will be finishing today or tomorrow. (hopefully ;-) )

So how about you? Have you done some special Christmas Crafting this year? Please show pictures!

I will be visiting every one's blogs and catching up on the last few days that I have missed. Thanks for understanding! ♥

Thursday, December 17, 2009

We are on day twelve of the Simplifying Christmas Meme! Today's topic is "Share A Favorite Ornament"Click on the Christmas Button above to get details on this meme, and join in on the fun! To see the prize you could win CLICK HERE. To win this prize, either write about this topic on your blog, and link back to here, and post your link in the MckLinky at the bottom of this post, or leave a comment about this topic. :)

I am so very sorry that this post is up late today. I have been dealing with some things for the past two days. But better late than never, right? ;-)

Today I am going to share with you some favorite ornaments of mine and my kids.

The first one is an ornament that is pretty self explanatory. It's first Christmas together. My mother in law got it for us. I LOVE that it's a precious moments ornament.♥This one is Bean's Ballerina Bear. It has her real name on it, but I blurred it out. It's her favorite ornament. Grandma got her that one.This one is Sweetie's. It's a Church. It lights up when you put a Christmas light inside of it. But the light burned out. It has special sentimental value to it, because Grandma also got her that one, and it has to do with something about our family name. :DI am anxious to see every one's favorite ornaments and the stories behind them. Be sure to sign the MckLinky below. ♥I'll try to get the next post up tonight. I am planning on a busy day ahead, so we'll have to see. Thanks everyone for participating! :D

Monday, December 14, 2009

We are on day eleven of the Simplifying Christmas Meme! Today's topic is "Simple Recipes"Click on the Christmas Button above to get details on this meme, and join in on the fun! To see the prize you could winCLICK HERE. To win this prize, either write about this topic on your blog, and link back to here, and post your link in the MckLinky at the bottom of this post, or leave a comment about this topic. :)

Sorry about getting this post up later than usual. Yesterday was a crazy busy hectic day. I was out of the house by 7:30am and home by 3:45. Then I was just too burned out to "think". I played on facebook a bit, and made a simple meal of hot dogs, and played a game of Uno with my kids. ♥ Then I vegged out on watching The Duggars on Youtube. ;-)

Today's post is pretty simple though. Just share a recipe or two that is a fun simple thing to make around the holidays. For us that means Thanksgiving and Christmas

These two Recipes I got from ladies in our old church. So I want to give credit to them.

First Recipe:

Corn Bread Casserole

1 Stick of Melted Butter

1 Egg1 Can of Creamed Corn

1 Can of regular Corn

8 oz of Sour Cream

1 Cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together melted Butter, egg, creamed corn and regular corn including liquid. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 30-45minutes. Stick in knife to test. Should not be "wet" but still a bit sticky. You don't want it dry.

Pull out of oven, and spread Sour Cream on right away. Then Sprinkle on Cheese.

This is always a hit everywhere I bring it. I brought it to our MOPS meeting yesterday and there wasn't a crumb left! Whoa. ;-)

It's so simple and easy. I am not a fan of cooking, but this is quicker than cleaning up the dishes for it.

And if any of my MOPS ladies are reading this, now you have the recipe. ♥

Next Recipe:

Cream Cheese Cookies

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 block of softened cream cheese

1 egg

1/4 to 1/2 Cup of softened butter. (Depending on how "rich" you would like it to be)

1 tsp of vanilla

Cream together Cream Cheese and Butter. Add in cake mix, egg and vanilla. Mix together to get a stiff cookie dough. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Spoon onto cookie sheets about tablespoon size or a tad bigger.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. You want the bottoms slightly brown.

Remove cookies from cookie sheet immediately. They are very fragile when hot, and firm up once cool.

We are on day ten of the Simplifying Christmas Meme! Today's topic is "Homeschooling During Hectic Times"Click on the Christmas Button above to get details on this meme, and join in on the fun! To see the prize you could winCLICK HERE. To win this prize, either write about this topic on your blog, and link back to here, and post your link in the MckLinky at the bottom of this post, or leave a comment about this topic. :)

I find it very difficult to home school through hectic seasons in our life. It seems like this whole fall semester has been hectic.

This is what I have been doing this fall, but I am planning on doing a little more in the Spring Semester.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Let's take this weekend to enjoy our families and focus on being "simple" Simplifying Christmas will start again on Monday. In order to start thinking about what's coming up for next week here is a mini "schedule"

Monday: Simplifying Homeschooling during ChristmasTuesday: Simple Recipes to make. Meals, Cookies, whatever that is *easy* yet tasty!Wednesday: Show and Tell. Take a picture of a sentimental ornament and tell it's storyThursday: A Simple Kid's CraftFriday: Simple Grown Up Craft

Thursday, December 10, 2009

We are on day eight of the Simplifying Christmas Meme! Today's topic is "Giving To Those In Need"Click on the Christmas Button above to get details on this meme, and join in on the fun! To see the prize you could winCLICK HERE. To win this prize, either write about this topic on your blog, and link back to here, and post your link in the MckLinky at the bottom of this post, or leave a comment about this topic. :)

I believe part of Christmas is the old adage of "It is better to give than to receive". I also believe that we should have giving hearts everyday of the year besides Christmas.

But, Operation Christmas Child is such an awesome way to demonstrate giving at this time of year. These kids have little to nothing in the way of worldly possessions. And showing them that someone out there cares and loves them, softens their hearts to listen and hear the gospel. Watch this and prepare to bawl your eyes out!

OK. So now I need a tissue...again! But that's a good thing. ♥

Almost every year since Sweetie was around three years old, I have been participating with my MOPS group in packing a shoe box. I LOVE doing this with my kids. We go to the dollar store and find all sorts of wonderful goodies to put in a shoe box. I love seeing my kid's hearts for the other boys and girls come out. They want to pick the best for the person they are packing for.

We write a letter and color some pictures to the child that will be getting the box

Then we pack it up and shut it good and tightNext, we deliver it to a drop off area We are excited to believe God is going to do something special with the shoe box we packed....well us girls are excited. Tiny Boy on the other hand is in dire need of a nap! ;-) Giving doesn't have to be complicated. I read a story that was posted by a friend on facebook about her little girl giving a necklace she made out of straws to a demo lady at the grocery store. The demo lady cried because someone had broken into her home and stolen all of her jewelery. The Straw necklace made her so happy! Wow! A little girl's craft brought a lot of joy into someone's life.

I also think that giving simplifies things in our lives. It helps put things in proper perspective. Some of the children in Operation Christmas Child live in a garbage dump. A literal garbage dump. They scrounge around the dump for their food and rare items to be sold.

It really shows how MUCH we have already doesn't it?

What about you? Do you participate in something like Operation Christmas Child? Do you do something through your church, or as a family? I would love to read and hear about it. Be sure to sign the MckLinky. :)